Public Act 0338 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1568 Enrolled LRB101 08973 AWJ 54066 b

Public Act 101-0338

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2310-236 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2310/2310-236 new)

Sec. 2310-236. Form of coroner's report; sudden unexpected infant death and sudden infant death syndrome.

(a) The Department shall develop and require the use of a form by coroners in the case of a death of an infant in which the cause of death is sudden unexpected infant death or sudden infant death syndrome. The form shall contain, at minimum, the following information to be recorded after a preliminary investigation:

(1) The date and time of death.

(2) The county of occurrence and the county of the infant's residence.

(3) Relevant demographic details regarding the infant, such as date of birth and gender.

(4) Relevant demographic details regarding the parents or caretaker of the infant.

(5) Relevant details regarding the circumstances of the death, including, but not limited to, who found the infant, where, and what they did.

(6) Relevant details concerning where the infant was placed, by whom, and in what position.

(7) Any additional relevant details concerning the sleep environment that the infant was placed in and what environmental factors were present, to the extent that those factors are ascertainable.

(8) Relevant details concerning health hazards present in the sleep environment, to the extent that those health hazards are ascertainable.

(9) Relevant details concerning the infant's medical history and previous medical issues.

(10) Other information the Department may determine to be relevant and conducive to understanding and recording the circumstances of the infant's death.

(b) The Department shall publish current information concerning sudden unexpected infant death and sudden infant death syndrome.

(c) At least once every 5 years, the Department shall review the form and determine whether updates need to be made for effectiveness and relevancy.

Section 10. The Counties Code is amended by changing Section 3-3016 as follows:

(55 ILCS 5/3-3016) (from Ch. 34, par. 3-3016)

Sec. 3-3016. Sudden unexpected infant death and sudden infant death syndrome. Where an infant under one year 2 years of age has died suddenly and unexpectedly and the circumstances concerning the death are unexplained following investigation, an autopsy shall be performed by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches who has special training in pathology. When an autopsy is conducted under this Section, the parents or guardian of the child shall receive a preliminary report of the autopsy within 5 days of the infant's death. All suspected sudden unexpected infant death and sudden infant death syndrome Sudden Infant Death Syndrome cases shall be reported to the Statewide Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome Program within 72 hours.

Death certificates shall list the cause of death as sudden unexpected infant death or sudden infant death syndrome Sudden Infant Death Syndrome where this finding is medically justified pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Department of Public Health. Copies of death certificates which list the cause of death of infants under one year 2 years of age as sudden unexpected infant death or sudden infant death syndrome Sudden Infant Death Syndrome shall be forwarded to the Department of Public Health within 30 days of the death with a report which shall include an autopsy report, epidemiological data required by the Department and other pertinent data.

(Source: P.A. 86-962.)